Here's My Life

A memory came back very strong today about last year's trip because of our church's courage discussion. The first week, a few of us who went to Jos got sick ("traveler's stomach"). It's no big deal. It lasts no more than 24 hours! Not to scare anybody, but this came back to me.

Midway in the first week we were there, me and Molly (another member of our team) started to get sick. Dr. Chris was so nice to take us back to our own guesthouse, so we could rest. Dr. Blattner prescribes a medicine for us before the trip, that treats this problem.

The next day Molly felt better to leave in the morning for Faith Alive. I felt worse! Jason said I should stay and rest more (we had our own private bathrooms at our guesthouse) :-) Sorry. Anyway, he left me his cell phone in case of an emergency. It's strange about my trip to Africa - just how I wasn't afraid and just concentrated on being there while I there. It's like Tom said from the book. I had tunnel vision. My husband is always kidding me about this "Why can't you do this? You went to Africa!"

This one day was different. This day turned out to be surreal. Here I was alone in another country, feeling very sick. It is temperate weather in August, in Jos, so the windows were open. It was strange to hear the different sounds of the country like roosters, goats and some actually strange sounds. A light breeze was blowing through the windows. The beds were actually comfortable and we had nice blankets. I slept most of the day. When I woke up, I had this intense homesick feeling. I never had felt so alone before in my life. I had a strong feeling come over me.

I got right down on my knees and began to intensely pray. I felt like I got re-baptized. In Acts I, Jesus told his disciples "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before, John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit...The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit come upon you."
Acts 1:4-5, 7-8

I listened to this song today on a CD I had not played in a while. It is by Barlow Girls. The words say it better than I can on how I felt when I was afraid, but I surrendered it. Of course, I felt much better the next day. Everyone was so caring, repeatedly asking "Are you well today?" I went back to serving, which is why we were there. Here's the song:

Here's My Life

Once again I said my goodbyes
To those I love the most
My heart feels that familiar pain
As I long for home
Because this road is hard
When I feel so far

So God I'm crying out tonight
Because I've given you my life
But I'm tired and I'm missing what's behind
So once more Here's My Life

On the day you called my name
All that I knew changed
I found witness that yes
I'd never be the same
Though the call is hard
You are worth it all

Even when the tears are falling
When I find out fears are calling
You remind me of the
Words you've spoken over me
Promises I've yet to see
But I know you've come for me
You've come for me.

Teresa Pompa

Turning Point

Here is the beginning of my Nativity Nigeria (NN) posting on the forming of our church's new team for this summer. Already!

On Sunday, all who applied for the trip were interviewed by the NN leaders. I am so excited! It is nerve wracking at the same time too. If you feel the strong pull in your heart to go you just have to pray. It's about surrendering to God again. Like the recent homily on faith, we have to step aside when we feel anxious and just pray with thanksgiving in our hearts for what He has already given us. Yesterday's homily was on courage. A friend who is interested in NN said to me, "How did you have the courage to go last year?" I answered that I really didn't have courage. It was Him. He pulled me to go, carried me while I was there and held me upon my return. I guess this is what Fr. White is trying to teach us. We must not think or act on our fears. We must turn it over to Him. He gives us courage.

I feel so blessed just to have the opportunity to apply again. I've gone through a lot of life changes after returning from Nigeria last summer. I know changes are scary (again courage!?). But I know now that changes, even though hard, are good when God inspired. How do we know God inspired? Well, I'm working on discernment. But for me - He doesn't leave me alone when He's calling me. It's a deep down feeling and it is a peaceful and joyful feeling when I surrender to Him. No one has perfect discernment. No one is perfect but God. We are all works in progress.

I have a strong pull for global compassion. It is where I am called. I also have a strong pull toward women and children - the world's vulnerable population. The Bible mentions many times about "widows and orphans". I feel this is true of Africa which has a lot to do with the AIDS disease. Women and children are left alone to suffer when the men die of the disease.

Whomever would have thought this to be me? A woman of my age with two younger children? Not I ! My fear voice has told me no. It has been trying to tell me that I'm too old - too ungifted - basically not worthy. My trip to Faith Alive helped me with discernment on this as well as the spiritual warfare series our church just finished. This fear voice of unworthiness is never about Jesus Christ.

The message series we just finished on Victory/Courage was awesome! Tom, thank you for the book recommendation in the small group DVD. For any of you who do not know, it talks about how women and children resort to prostitution in third world countries. I saw this in Africa with my own eyes. It is done out of desperation and starvation. On one of our home care visits, the young girl we came to help was already gone. she contracted the AIDS virus from prostitution. Her parents forced her into this to come up with money for food. When Faith Alive tried to help this young girl and gave the parents money to get her to a hospital, they chose to take the money and use it to buy their own food. They put their daughter in the open village and left her to die. Their thinking was she would never get better; she would never survive. They were starving.

I also read a daily devotional by Rick Warren, the author of "The Purpose Driven Life". This is the book that our church read together three years ago. It just happened to be sent to me right after my NN postings ended for the last series. It was the devotional for 4/18, if anyone would like to read it in its entirety. I would like to share a part of it with you:

"There is no substitute for hands-on, real life experience in another culture. Quit studying and discussing your mission and just do it! I dare you to dive in the deep end. It will enlarge your heart, expand your vision, stretch your faith, deepen your compassion and fill you with a kind of joy you've never experienced. It could be the turning point of your life."

Teresa Pompa

Ministry in Art

Above is a cool image that was made through a site sent to me by Kristin at Nativity. It is a cool, artful, take on some of the things that we do. Just something to check out during the week...

Seeing & Believing

I am still a little bit in an Easter state of mind. Experiencing Holy Week masses, the Rise Youth show, and the Easter Sunday...well...WOW! We are so blessed to be a part of the Church of the Nativity.

My family is a family that has so much to be thankful for. Besides a wonderful church to worship and serve in, we have so much. The food - to the brim - no, over the top as always for an Italian family! And add the chocolate and jelly beans, and we can't forget the Easter gifts - if you add children who are "tweens" or older to the mix - then what you have is an abundance. Our family does not just have an abundance of food; we also have an abundance of LOVE.

I want to share what our church has shared with us, and the love that our family has for one another with others. I want to take it half way around the world. No, it is not the Easter sugar high. I want to go back to Jos, Nigeria. I want to go back after an unbelievable eight months of learning in my life since I was last there. I want to help our church's new team.

After going to Nigeria, I literally saw things for the first time in my life. I saw what I saw and I can't forget it. I understand there is need and suffering in our country too. So after I've heard "...you don't have to go to Nigeria...", I agree - you don't. But there is something about going outside our country and seeing "the world" through another culture's eyes. I saw a version of our world stripped down.

I remember the day our team left the Faith Alive Family. It was a beautiful, clear morning. We all boarded a minibus that would take us to the airport. The whole town had come out and lined the streets to say goodbye. "Thank you!" they cried out. Everyone waved. They were saying "Please come back!" As the minibus pulled away, I kept looking back. I felt like a small child when they get in the back of a car with their noses pressed against the glass. I didn't want to miss a thing. I guess I've been looking back ever since.

Dr. Chris and his family were visiting the U.S. this month. I had the privilege of hosting a dinner for them on April 3rd. I invited the team members,friends and people interested in the Nigeria program. He was "fashionably" late! As soon as he and his family walked in I thought - here he is, in my home, God is so awesome to allow me to become friends with such wonderful people who live so far away. We prayed, laughed and cried together. Dr. Chris loves reading the blog! His wife and children are lovely. I didn't get to meet them last August. This was the first time the children had been in the U.S. Their three children were running around, having a great time with my two kids and the two daughters of our friends. Their youngest, 3year old Joseph, fell in love with my 11 year old, Christopher. At the end of the evening,Joseph did not want to leave our home.

God opens doors for us but sometimes we just don't see them. Maybe we can't believe the doors are open for us. My life changed when I walked through the doors of the Church of the Nativity. I feel like it was the church I'd been looking for all my life. Here was a church I could belong to. For the first time in my life - here was a church that I loved. Here is a church that has helped me to see the world a little clearer. Someone once told me that as we grow as Christians, we start seeing the world through our Savior's eyes. I have a long way to go - but it's less cloudy.

"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows us completely.
Three things will last forever - faith, hope and love - and the greatest of these is love"

1 Cor.11-13

Teresa Pompa

Almost The End

Okay. Today is Holy Thursday. We're coming to the end of my stories from last summer's trip. I will post the last one next week. I could go on forever, but there has to be a period at the end of the sentence. For any of you who have spoken to me - you know I can be a rambler. When I'm excited or nervous, I talk too fast and ramble on. Although, I've been told I tell "good stories". I just need some processing time! I'm not the quick witty one.

I don't know if it's a good story or not, but I do have one to tell one day on my own blog, after my Nigeria experience stories. I would like for the story to be inspirational and give hope to people. It's about a little girl who never talked. Never said a word. She didn't think she'd have anything to say that anybody would want to hear.But that is another story. I thought I saw her in the eyes of the Nigerian children. Faith, hope and love hadn't fully entered her world yet.

One of my favorite parts of the day at Faith Alive was Discipleship Class. It was how we usually started the day as a team. The class was for young adults who wanted to learn how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. They studied the Bible. It was an amazing experience. The young people were so bright. They started the class together even if the teacher was not there yet. They would "praise sing". This means clapping their hands together to form the beat and just singing praise songs. It is very beautiful and unique. We were given the privilege to teach the class one day. We chose to speak on the Holy Spirit. Jason did a great job of being the teacher.

The classroom is this very small room. There is a chalkboard in the front and tiny benches for any visitors like us. The young man who was the teacher just put his head towards the ceiling as if he was talking to God saying, "One day it will not be like this. It will not always be like this". He had such trust that God would not only take care of them as they were, but that something bigger and better would be given to them by Him in the future. He said God gave this promise through His Son.

One day after class, the teacher let the students ask any questions they wanted. Well, let's just say some questions of all time came up. A young man was very honest when he asked (looking straight at us Americans) "Why do some of us have more suffering than others?". A man was sitting just outside the classroom (their was no more space in the room for him to fit). He said he was just visiting to listen. But suddenly he stood up and with a booming voice answered the question. And then just as suddenly he left.

"Who was that man?" our team asked. It seemed like the voice of God. We would learn later that it was Pastor Ben. Pastor Ben also ran the lab. You would find that to be common at Faith Alive. The staff with medical degrees also had theological education. Much of the staff perform double duties.

At Faith Alive, faith and medicine go together. There are so many unbelievable stories about the day to day activities in the hospital. There were so many talented and dedicated medical staff members. They need help desperately. Just your pair of hands will do. You do not need to have a medical degree to be of help there.

There is a support group for patients and staff every Sunday afternoon. I will never forget the two Sundays we participated. The first Sunday we had just arrived three days prior. The people gather and pray together on the first floor of the hospital. Pastor Estelle leads the support group and translates in English when needed. After much praise singing, anyone may stand up and give testimony. There was a man who stood up and thanked God for his illness. He said his illness brought him closer to God. And a woman stood up and said she knew God loved her and she did not "deserve" her illness. She was thankful to be alive and for her children being healthy. We would later find out her name was Comfort. Comfort brought great homemade donuts to our guesthouse one day.

On the last Sunday, a couple of days before we would be leaving, everyone from our team stood up, one by one, to thank the Nigerian people and to say our good-byes. I wasn't going to speak at first. I spoke the first Sunday. But I'll never forget my team's encouragement. Go ahead Teresa! Come on Teresa! You talk! I'll never forget my team. I spent two and a half weeks of one of the most awesome, yet stressful times of my life with them. Young and old - no, let's say older - were in this endeavor together. We ate, worked and lived together. How nice Jason and Paul were when I woke them up in the middle of the night because I heard "noises". Nothing was found at first, but the "noise" revisited. We did have a guest at the guesthouse. It was just a mouse who liked the Tootsie Rolls I had brought to give the children. That was not such a good idea!

The Nativity Nigeria Faith Alive team: Jason Hillis, our team leader, who brought his cultural and travel experience to the team, Pat Fowler, who is a nurse at Johns Hopkins, Paul Kowzan, who works at Stella Maris, Molly Laschinger, a premed student at Vanderbilt and Lauren Boyle, a lab technician, were all a part of "my experience". We laughed and cried together, and yes, got extremely frustrated with one another .... a couple of times :-) ! Sorry, God, for that.

I have so many memories packed into that two and half week period. The homecoming is a story in and of itself. Let me just say that after 20 some hours of airtime and waiting...there they were. My husband and two children, so happy to see me with a HUGE sign - "Welcome Home from Nigeria, Mom!" All I could think was God, You are an awesome God and how He had so blessed me. And now I think of - Yes Victory!

May all of you have a blessed Easter. It is such a beautiful tribute and celebration of "Victory" at our church - one of faith, hope and love. I pray that each and every one of you know of our God's love for you and any of you who are suffering, feel His healing touch.

"...But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord
Jesus Christ."

1 Cor 15:56-57

Teresa Pompa

Back at the Guesthouse.....Do Not Be Afraid

What we spent most of our time at the guesthouse doing was eating! This is where we were served our meals, and they were good ones. For most of the time at these meals - I don't know why - I would just watch and listen. I'm usually more outgoing, but it was a little overwhelming sometimes. There were 6 members of our team, a couple from another church and about a dozen Naval Academy students - of which only 2 were women!

Of course the Naval Academy dominated. Their loud voices, showing all the cool stuff they bought from shopping (too much?!) at the marketplace and their game of seat saving in the van when we had to go somewhere. The couple was from a Protestant church in Colorado. The man came up to me one evening when I was finishing a meal. He asked me where I was from and about our church. When he found out our church was Catholic, he stopped talking. He looked at the cross on my necklace and said "I thought Catholics only wore crucifixes".

I saw the couple (John & Kristen) again at the guesthouse and they were alone. At first I was afraid to talk about our church. But I walked over to them and started talking. They were touched by the story of our Church. I became friendly with this couple who were very kind to me. They thought I had a special gift for praying for people after witnessing me praying for one of Dr. Chris's patients.

I still remember this patient very clearly and her name - Zima. I still pray for Zima. One night at the hospital, Dr. Chris was counseling patients, and some of us were allowed to observe. The nurse suddenly flew open the door and spoke rapidly about bleeding. We were told to follow Dr. Chris to another medical room. The room was dimly lit and the night air was chilly. This young woman (Zima), who you could see was very beautiful but very afraid, was having a miscarriage. She was a young, unmarried and she had HIV. Dr. Chris scolded her for not following his instructions. He had saved her life. She was extremely ill when he had started treating her 5 years prior. And she had been doing great until this. A lady on our team prayed for her and she and some other people left the room with Dr. Chris. Then it was just John, Kristen and me alone with Zima, who was crying and obviously suffering. I had that old feeling come back to me of when I was young and in school and I didn't want to raise my hand. It was like when you want to speak but you can't. Why did I feel that way? This was no classroom and this woman was suffering. My voice pierced the quiet. "Zima", I said "Zima, God is not punishing you." "Oh but He is", she said, "I did the wrong thing and now I will be punished. I thought having children was my purpose in life." She began to cry even harder.

I felt I knew what she was feeling. I myself thought I was being punished, when I found out I could not conceive a child. I don't remember the prayer that came out of me when I put my arms around her, but I told her of God's love and reminded her about Jesus and that God did have a purpose for her life. She got rushed to the hospital that night. I heard she was OK, but I never saw her again.

This young woman made a huge impact on my life - this young woman from Nigeria. And I believe the reason why is that I felt some kind of connection with her. I've known this but I had never really felt it before. Somehow I really felt how we are all the same deep down inside. Scared and afraid - even if we don't know it. And we have a purpose for our life given by Him, even if we don't know exactly what it is.

I believe that people I met, both the Nigerian people and the other guests at the guesthouse, all had a reason to be there at that place and at that time. As for the Naval Academy officers, I will tell you 3 kindnesses they did for me while I was there. The first was when I got lost in the village marketplace (yes, lost). One of the young men ran after me, yelling my name, found me and took me to safety. And then there was the day I got sick to my stomach at the guesthouse, and the young man said to me, "Miss, please you can go lie down in my bed and rest". And lastly, one day I returned to the guesthouse on a day in which the rain was the heaviest. I was drenched and another of the young men said to me that I could have some of his dry clothes to change into.

What happened to me in Nigeria is -in that moment, at that time of my life - I felt my life really did have a purpose on a larger level than my immediate family and friends. I don't know exactly what it is - but I think it is to use whatever I have suffered, however it compares to the suffering of someone else - to empathize and use that suffering to help.

I realized you do not have to work miracles to change other people's lives for the better. Just small acts of kindness mean so much. And if you want to help a stranger, even pray for one, do not be afraid to do it.

Teresa Pompa

My Eyes Have Seen Holy

One part of our everyday schedule at Faith Alive was called "projects". This was the time you could help in the area in which you were interested. I used to like spending this part of the day walking around trying to meet people. There is a counseling unit that is part of Faith Alive's social services. The counselors help patients with how to prevent spreading diseases and how to cope with having a disease

One day I met a counselor named Rhoda. She was a pretty woman wearing a beautiful purple African dress and matching headdress. She was sitting at the desk in her office and waved to me to come in. After noticing an article on her desk by Rick Warren, who wrote "The Purpose Driven Life", I knew she was someone I wanted to talk to. "I am new" she told me. "You are new?" I asked. "Yes, I am new at this . I said "I am new new too! I have never been to Africa or any mission trip before". She said she was nervous. I reassured her. I told her about our church and how most of us had read "The Purpose Driven Life" together. She said "I know my life has a purpose now". She then told me her story.

Her husband had contracted AIDS. She took care of him and her three children. It was very hard for her to watch her husband get sicker and sicker and eventually die. Somehow despite her best efforts, her youngest child caught the disease and died. She cried to God how can this be. She felt guilty and ashamed. She felt like she didn't want to live anymore. She told of how the Faith Alive Family helped her regain hope and how they showed her God's love.

She said she had always had religion In her life. Her family took her to church as a child. But something was different now. She now knew Jesus Christ was her personal Savior. All she wanted to do now was to share her faith and to help other people who are suffering like she had been herself. She said He did not mean for us to be alone. We have to go out, share our faith and try to help people.

I was amazed by her story. As I walked back to the guesthouse that afternoon, I thought of how the AIDS disease leaves women and children alone. There is still a very strong stigma in that country concerning AIDS. So most of the men who get the disease do not seek medical help. Then sometimes the wives get it and also the children who have weaker immune systems then also get the disease. They have nowhere to go. There are no shelters or clinics run by government agencies or non-profit organizations. There are no nearby wealthy neighborhoods for donations or handouts. There is only Faith Alive - an oasis in the desert. And they depend on the mercy of other countries'donations. I wondered how would that feel to have to depend on the charity of another country for survival - that it would not come from a surrounding neighborhood, community, city or state - but another country.

As you walk down the street you see storefronts and houses that are little more than shacks. The Nigerian people wave to you, children run up to you. Everyone is saying "you're welcome" and "thank you so much". They are so grateful for the help they receive from America. I would have to just stop sometimes and catch my breath to keep from crying. They do not want pity. They need support and encouragement. They look up to our country. I think I was so blessed just to be born in our country.

After a few days you know the path very well from Faith Alive to the guesthouse. As I looked down the street before entering the guesthouse, I saw some children playing in the street. I remembered when Fr.Emmanuel(born in Nigeria) celebrated the mass at our church and gave the Nativity Nigeria team a blessing a few days before we left on the mission. During his homily he said "...when you see a dirty little boy playing in the street, will you be able to see Jesus Christ or will you only see a dirty little boy?"

Well, I saw Jesus Christ everywhere at Faith Alive - in all the wonderful children, in smiling welcoming faces, in staff's caring eyes and the mercy and love that is given to Faith Alive by Dr. Chris. I had such a strong feeling that my eyes were seeing Holy.

I played this song a lot on my CD player while I was there: "My Eyes Have Seen Holy" by Bebo Norman. Here are some of the lyrics:

...Mercy, weep over me.
Let your tears wash me clean.
Majesty, be merciful with me,
For my eyes have seen Holy.

Teresa Pompa

To the Ends of the Earth

Our team piled into a Jeep one day to go on a Home Based Care visit. Faith Alive has a team which takes medical care and reaches out to the sick who cannot get to the hospital.

It had been a day of pouring down rain. We did not know where we were going or how far it would be. After leaving the town of Jos, we suddenly were driving down dirt roads. It became very bumpy and muddy. The rainwater was rushing down the roads. We were going through country roads that then turned into fields. We were actually going through crops. The Jeep was bouncing all over the place and I began to get scared. I thought for sure we wouldn't make it. Me and another team member who were - let's just say a little older than the rest of the team - were holding on for dear life and praying. The young team members thought it was a great adventure. Our team leader, Jason, kept calmly reading his book! He had gone through this adventure the year before. The Home Based Care team was used to this. They just said "...we will get there".

After calming down, I began to really notice the countryside. It was beautiful. The rain had stopped. The sky was full of huge, billowy, low-hanging clouds. There are certain trees in Africa that have a distinct shape. They have very wide branches but are not very tall. There were hills in the background. We saw different fields and crops. It really was beautiful.The Jeep pulled over on the side of the road. We looked at each other like "are we here?". All we saw were fields and trees again. Yes we had arrived safely at our destination. The patient's children were waiting there for us. We then walked with them down a long, winding, rocky path to the patient's home.

It was a mud hut. It was so shocking to see this. Yes I had seen documentaries of this type of situation, but here I was and this was real. The hut was practically empty. They had very little belongings. As it turned out, the patient wasn't there. She was feeling better so she went to visit her sister. This was good news. But the mud hut roof was leaking badly, so the Home Based Care team and Jason put a large piece of heavy plastic on the roof. The children watched as they did this. Their clothes were not in very good condition. I was touched by their quiet dignity as they watched the roof being repaired.

As this was happening, I just kind of looked around. I thought to myself - how did these people live in the middle of nowhere, in a mud hut with nothing. A few bowls and some blankets were all we could see. Me and a couple of team members walked around to the back of the hut and realized we were on a rocky cliff. We all just kind of stood there. The view off of the cliff was shockingly beautiful. It was of a hilly countryside. This mom and her children had nothing materially. I tried to imagine if they would sometimes come and sit back there and just take in the view.

We walked down the rocky path to the Jeep to leave. The children walked with us. A member of the Home Based care team, I believe her name was Florence, stopped under one of the trees. It had started to begin pouring down rain again. Florence put her arms high in the air and began to pray. She gave thanks for us. I thought to myself - what did we do? This is one of the pictures that remains strong in my mind. Florence, with her hands held high, praising and thanking God. I can see our team standing there with bowed heads under this wide African tree. All of us in the middle of nowhere in the pouring down rain.

And I was thankful. I was thankful to God for letting me be in Nigeria, in that moment, to witness what real faith is all about. I was filled with awe how this Home Based Care team did this kind of work every day. They would help in any way they can even if it means repairing a roof. Sometimes all they can provide is a small task and some hope. They do everything they can even when it is extremely hard to get there. I felt like I had gone to the "ends of the earth" that day. It brought to mind the scripture verse our team was given by Father White before we left:

"And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Sumeria, and to the ends of the earth"
Acts 1:8


Teresa Pompa

2009 Application

Please see the above application for the 2009 NATIVITY:NIGERIA ministry at Church of the Nativity. Simply click on the image and a larger, more readable version will appear. A hard copy can be received at the Information Desk at Nativity. A digital copy may be received by emailing nigeria@churchnativity.org

Please return all applications by April 26, either via email or to the Information Desk at Nativity.

Also, please note the Information Session on March 30th to answer any questions you may have.

Spring Forward Information

Well we have aligned some of the stars and have begun the application process for the 2009 Nativity:Nigeria trip this upcoming August. Applications will be made available on this site within the next few hours and may also be received at the Information Desk at Nativity. They may also be received in digital form by emailing nigeria@churchnativity.org

For anyone interested in more information about the program, getting questions answered, or just wondering how they can get involved on a variety of levels, we are hosting an Information Session at Nativity on Monday, March 30th at 7PM. Please take a look through the blog to see some of the stories and experiences of past participants.

Again, please do not hesitate to email us at nigeria@churchnativity.org